Business-directory signboard



April 8 ,7 1924; 1.489553 W. "T. SMITH BUS INESS DIRECTORY SIGHBOARDFiled Sept. 22. 1923 '2 SheetE-Sheet. 1

WITNESSES ATTO RN EY April 8, 1924. I

w. T; SMITH BUSINESS DIRECTORY S'IGNBOARD Filed'Sept. 22'. 1923 2Sheets-Sheet 2 ESSES M MW WIT gyr-roauey tailed- Patented Apr. 8, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM T SMITH, OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

. v BUSINESS-DIRECTDRY SIG-NBOARD.

Application filed September 22 1923. Serial No. 664,209.

SMITH,

way stations and the like.

7 The object of the invention is to provide a device of this characteradapted to be supported from the floor, and provided with a plurality ofconveniently arranged pockets or card holders, each to be assigned to aparticular individual or firm and adapted to contain a considerablenumber of cards,

which are to be freely dispensed. to the public.

The advantages of-the invention and the detailed construction thereofwill be more clearly apparent from. the following dedescription taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate thepreferred form of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 vention.

Figure 2 is a plan view thereof.

Figure 3 is a vertical transverse section through a portion of theinvention.

Figure 4 is a horizontal section of the same.

The device which comprises my invention includes a pair of spacedupright posts 5, preferably of iron, and supported at their lower endsby suitable base blocks 6, which are sufficiently large to prevent theboard from being easily tipped over. The posts 5 are preferably of suchathickness as to leave sufiicient room for two series of card holdersarranged back to back. a post three inches square will be preferred. Thefront faces of the posts are joined by a plate 7 which is preferably ofsheet metal, and may consist of one or more sections. In places whereboth sides of the board may be observed by the public, the rear facesare joined in a similar manner. The space between the plates 7 may beclosed at the top and bottom by a strip 8. The plates 7 may be of anysize desired, and are supported high enough by the posts to be displayedgulded flanges for the cards 1s a perspective View of the inand extendbeyond the face of the plate 7 so that they form a guideway from whichUsually in a conspicuousposition to the public.

'Each plate, is provided with a series of pockets or holders forcontaining business cards or other advertising cards, as indicated at 9.In forming the pocket, the plate 7 is cut to form a pa r of oppositelyextendmg tongueslO, whlch are bent rearwardly, as shown 1n Flgure 4, andtheir terminal portions 11 are then ,benttoward each other,

to form bottom flaps for the pocket. A ofmetal formed into a rectangularstri shell forms the side walls 12 and end walls 18 of the pocket, andis supported by the bottomflflaps' 11. Ears 14 are struck out of wall12, engaging the rear side prevent the shell frombeing displaced fromits position. Another strip each side of the plate 7 to 15 extendstransversely across the bottom of the pocket, and is secured'by ears 16which extend through and are clinched to the-sidewalls 12. A movablebottom-17 is within theside and end walls 12 and 13, and is urgedoutwardly by an expansile coiled spring 18 of comparatively largediameter supported on the bottom strip 15.

The outer edges of the side walls 12'are turned inwardly, as at 19, toform retaining 9, and the left hand end 13 has its outer edge 20 turnedinwardly for a similar purpose. The flanges 19 are inclined fromtheflange 20 they approach the opposite end of the holder The dimensions ofthe pockets or card holders are preferably such as to accommodate anordinary business card, and deep enough to contain 50 or 75 cards atatime. The pockets are arranged on opposite sides of the board, wheneverboth sides are accessible to the public. If the board is arranged to setagainst the wall, the rear side may be blank. The cards to be arrangedin the several pockets or holders are designed to constitute aclassified business directory, and each card holder carries a businesscard of a different advertiser, who pays a specified rent for theprivilege. The dimensions of the card holders, as well as the size ofthe board, do not, however, constitute an outwardly as i the shell inpositionythe outer edges 0 essential partof the invention, and variousmodifications may also bemadein the structural details of the inventionwithout departing from the essential principles thereof as hereinclaimed.

hat is claimed is:

1. In a device of the character described, a pair of spaced uprightposts, awplate connecting the front faces'of the posts and having aplurality of pairs of-opposedtongues cut there-from, each pair oftongues leaving a rectangular openingoin the plate and being bentrearwardly from their bases and having their terminal portions benttoward each other to form bottom flaps for the pockets, a rectangularshell restingon said flaps. and forming side and end walls of the pocketand having-ears struck out to engage the rear side of the platefor-retaining the walls in position, the outer edges of'the side wallsbeing bent inwardly to form-retaining flanges for the cards, a stripsecured transversely across the bottom of thefpocket, a movable bottomwithin the pocket, and a spring betweensaidmovable bottom and thetransverse strip to retain the cards against 7 said retaining flanges.

2. In a device of the charactervcrlescribed, a plate having a pluralityof card holders therein,v each holder comprising a-pair ofopposedtongues cut from the-plate leaving a rectangular opening in theplate, said tongues being bent rearwardly fromtheir bases and havingtheir-terminalwportions bent toward each other to formbottom flaps forthe holder, a rectangular shell resting on said flaps and forming sideand end walls ofthe holder and having ears struck out to engagethe'rea-r SIClG-OfthQflPlfibB'tO secure the side walls being bentinwardly to form retaining flanges for the cards, said retaining flangesbeing inclined outwardly to- 4 may posts, a vpair plates joining of the,faceplatesand forming with the ward one end (beyond theface of. theplate, and'forming guideways from which a card may be withdrawn.

3. In a device of the character described,

\ the COHllJlIlfiillOllOf a pair of spaced upright posts, apair of faceplates joining the respective front faces and rear faces of the posts,each rofisaid plates being provided with a plurality of rectangularpockets, each pocket having retaining flanges at three of itsiouiteredges, and a spring held bottom in each pocket for holding cards againstthe retaining flanges,-the flanges of each pocket being in a plane whichis slightly inclined outwardly to extend vin front of the face of theplate, at theedge which has no flange, to provide guideways from whichthe cards be successively withdrawn.

4. In a device of the character described,

the combination of a pair ofspaced upright of face cpl-ates joining the.re- I spective front andrear. faces oftherposts, the top and bottoedges osts. and-face plates aclo-sed hollow bOX,

each of-the tace plateshaving. a plurality of pairs of opp osed tonguescut therefrom,

each pair of tongues leaving a. rectangular opening inthe late, andhaving their terminal portions, bent toward each other to form bottomflaps for the pockets thus formed, a rectangular-shell secured withineach pocket and forming"- the side walls thereofls-and abottomrresil-ientlysupported within said side walls for supportingcardsorthe like, certain of the outer edges of said sidewallsibeingbent,inwardly to :form retaining flanges for thecards.

In- =testin1ony that I claim the foregoing f as my own, I have heretoaflixed my signature.

-WILLIAM SMITH.

